Tag Archives: saltwater

The Perfect Times

sheepshead, goat, fly, rod, fishing, rl, winston, bull, red, drum, fish, guide, trips, charters, texas, gulf, coast, mexico, beavertail, hatch, outdoors, airflo, smith, optics, trout, hunter, tippet, leader, spool,
MEGA Sheepshead on Fly (Tom is 6 foot 4 inches tall)

Oftentimes, I get asked, “What tides are best? What are your favorite water temps? What is your favorite time of year to fish?” And I always tell them, “Right NOW!” (they’re usually already on the boat with me) and that is true for several reasons. Now is your time to fish, Now is the time you have put aside to do some fly fishing, and NOW is where we are, doing what we are doing! The best time to go fishing is when you have given yourself the time… Why not learn something new about how to find and catch fish during whatever time and weather conditions you get for the day? Why not learn how to cast better? Why not learn some trick casts for catching those more “difficult” fish? Why not enjoy the moment and the experience and the serenity that you are really looking for? And conversely, Why do most people want that “film tour” type of day and only book if you promise them the stairway to heaven, mecca?

Hell, I have been fly fishing personally for 26 years exclusively and guiding many fine people for 10 years in saltwater. Even still, I too dream of those “cherry days” when the fish just hook up on every cast or those days when you get multiple shots (or even one shot) at a trophy or “personal best” fish. You know how every single awesome fishing story starts with, “You should have been here yesterday”… but I always have thought to myself and tell everyone, “Yesterday could be your tomorrow and you better be there [tomorrow]!!!” How many times is the weatherman wrong? What do they know about fishing anyways?

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Fangs for Days Yellow Mouth Speckled Trout

While I guide folks in all sorts of environment variables with all levels of skill and abilities, as your guide I certainly work my butt off starting early and/or finishing late just trying to use what assets you brought to the boat so I can show you the fish you want to hunt and if Lady Luck is on our side and you can keep Murphy from jumping on your back, then we will get to play hooky with some of the coolest fish the Texas Coast has to offer.

Our water temps are just now getting into the PRIME RANGE, and while the onset of the next cold front might chill the water a bit the fish still have to eat. The bluebird skies forecast after this next front are looking fabulous and consecutive. Massive amounts of redfish, trout, drum and sheepshead are going to blitz the shallows all thru next week. Give me a call direct or book anything online using the button below! I look forward to exercising your fly fishing skills and stretching you to be the best you can be for the day with me. Certainly, I will do everything humanly possibly to get you the “fish of your life”! Every cast counts, every opportunity can be seized even in tough conditions unless you stay on the couch watching the weather all pissed off because it was foggy or windy or cloudy.

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We catch them well in low-light conditions too!

Early Season Redfish on the Texas Coast

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Tailing Redfish in February

Winter hardly slows down these redfish and now that duck season is over and February is upon us the water temps are rising steadily again. There is great potential this time of year to see loads of redfish, drum and even some BIG trout in the shallows. They could be daisy-chaining along main shorelines or in lard wide schools whoppin’ and poppin’! Usually a day or two after a cold front the water and fish are back in action and even on cloudy days many redfish can be caught on the fly using sight casting and stalking techniques on foot as well as from the skiff.

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Ready to Wet Wade the Texas Coast
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7 spot redfish

The forthcoming weeks of February (including March) are going to see some of the best fly fishing action the coast can offer. Tailing and cruising redfish can be expected and there are good chances to see redfish schools that rival the summer groups. We wet wade often times this time of year in 65-75F water temps to deal with a little bit of wind and or grey skies. This lets us get so very close to the fish that you cant miss them feeding right at your feet! Call Capt Kenjo direct @ 361-500-2552 or simply Book Online at your leisure! It is sure we will have a good time, you will learn many new things and become a better fly angler overall, and if you are nice to the fish, many of them will come out to play! We are still seeing lots of Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes for those who love all types of wildlife.

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A pair of Whooping Cranes feed along the shores of the barrier islands along the great Texas Coast.

Drain Games – The Texas Fall Redfish Run

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STAR DATE: October 31, 2019 PLANET: Earth COORDINATES: 27.8339° N, 97.0611° W

FIELD NOTES: The redfish are displaying the following characteristics and behaviors; Crawling, mudding, tailing, schooling, popping, whopping, backing, crushing, pouncing, hounding. Its GO Time in Port Aransas! Lock and Load! Load and Go! (pics below)

Some of the most heart pounding sight-casting to red drum on the fly will be happening over the course of the next few weeks/month! The apex of the fall season is hitting us Now in full swing and underway making way! Sure as frozen fire, the tidal drain-game begins again as Texas redfish, trout, flounder and black drum turn face first into the winds and outpouring of bay water moving “en masse” to feed shallower and shallower. As the migration of shrimp, crabs and baitfish flush out of the estuaries the fish are there and feeding heavily in preparation for the onset of winter. As the fourth significant cold front of the year hits the Coastal Bend right now, strong windy conditions will prevail for the next 24 hours as the dry cool air sweeps across the countryside colliding with the warm moist air of the coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico the the the winds become more tame and best for fishing!

The redfish have already shown up in very strong numbers up to 30 inches after the previous cold front and it is likely that the next few weeks will see some of the best Texas sight casting to have been done all year. Game on! These next 2-3 weeks may just become noted as “Peak Weeks” for the Fall Run. Time will tell. Needless to say the fly fishing is excellent NOW. Get in touch with your local preferred guide to coordinate ASAP!

My immediate forthcoming availability is THIS WEEKEND starting Sunday as well as Monday Tuesday and Thursday (Nov 3-5 & 7th)…

Call Captain Ken today (while I am prepping for the next 2 weeks of hardcore redfishing) or plan your next trip online at your convenience! Call 361-500-2552

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Summer Summaries

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Double Jacks on the fly on the Texas Coast
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Matt enjoying some tailing redfish pods

The Summer fly fishing program on the Texas Coast has been reliable to say the least. Early summer saw many pods of tailing redfish early morning with many shots at pods of jack crevalle averaging 30lbs.

Once the water in the bay got too warm the bait flushed and the jacks moved with them to the deeper cooler channels.

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On John’s Birthday Trip he joined the 30 Inch Club
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Post No Bills Redfish

Quite a few fish came to hand this season and once we were in full swing we were finding them every day. Pods of redfish were targeted and single cruising fish were also welcomed targets.

Some cool fish also moved into the neighborhood, and some had the pleasure to observe a 4ft Bullshark in the bay as well as some 3-5 foot Alligator gar. Even saw another 4 foot alligator gar yesterday.

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Ryker can cast. Ryker can catch FISH!

Some even got to take shots at some very large redfish but for some people, the pressure is insurmountable in those moments and things dont always go as imagined or planned and some lucky others also caught some fine specimens. This is how experience is gained and this is how it is earned as an angler.

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Drum Whisperer

It is how, eventually, you become able to “in the heat of the moment” to be still, move slowly and calmly make a deliberately well-presented cast to the fish of your dreams.

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Father and Son enjoying Texas Redfish Challenges on the fly

For others, until you have dropped your pants on accident enough times, Murphy seems to be there, even when your guide can remain calm. Jimi Hendrix didnt write “Are you educated”, he wrote, “Are you Experienced”.

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Recent Graduate Ryker Lands Marvelously Colored Redfish

Many thanks to all who fished with me this summer! You all make experiencing my dreams a reality. Stay ready though, the fall run is right around the corner and should be even better than last year!

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Kasey got in on some nice Tailing Redfish Action

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Adam nailed this redfish on a olive fighting crab fly

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Summer Drum Beats

Time to let it drop! Summer Drum Beats is too hot to hold onto any longer! I truly hope you enjoy the video. This footage was shot last summer during some fantastic sight fishing the Texas Coast out of Port Aransas.

Now accepting bookings for Summer 2019 (and on)! June and July last year saw plenty of fishing that was absolutely incredible. Dates are already filling in! We worked loads of tailing fish for many consecutive days. And after chasing redfish all morning we spent the afternoon chasing big jack crevalle!

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To reserve your date for your Texas saltwater destiny call Capt Kenjo direct (361-500-2552) or use the Book Now button above. Feel free to call have you any questions! Dates fill quickly!

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Jack #3 of 4 for the Day

Consistent weather during those 2 months would spoil anyone with excessive amounts of tailing pods of redfish kept satisfying, Then chasing down huge jacks in the bay during the heat of the day made it even better! May the Summer Drum Beats live on!

Special thanks to Cody for jumping on board last minute to film this spectacular day with me. Fishing together as a team made Summer Drum Beats happen on short notice. Special thanks to Luke for producing such a fine video. Hope you all like the new logos too!

Additional thanks to Beavertail Skiffs for building such a solid boat. It lets us get to the fish every day regardless of the weather. Kudos to Hatch Outdoors for building a fly reel that handles a lifetime of use and to Airflo for making sure our loops and hooksets are as tight as possible! All of these companies continue to maintain the highest levels of customer service and insist on making quality their primary goal in their products.

Here are some raw videos of some of the jacks we chased last year, cant wait to get ya’ll back on them!

summer drum beats redfish music fly fishing music to my ears
Photo Cred. Z. Landry


Formative Submarines

As we gaze downwind on a low tide deep edge of the flat the light is just right enough to see a daisy chain of potholes that goes for a mile. Each sandy hole varies in size and shape and connects with a tiny artery of sand, breaking the grass patches into large chunks… We park at the head of this “run” (a river term) staring far and deep into the water beyond where good definition can be seen… And then, as if it was a clock striking a bell, the huge fleet of dark submarine redfish approach in formation. Evenly spaced 2 ft apart, shoulder to shoulder and head to tail, their encroachment on our position forced time to stand still… We wait patiently and time our casts well, allowing them to get within comfortable casting range and we lob out our heavily weighted crab flies, touch bottom and come tight on the first long strip… Over and over, for several hours, these waves of classy redfish continue to push past us at regular intervals and we nail them on each wave.

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Big Crab Eatin Redfish
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Awaiting the next submarine redfish fleet wave

This is the time of year when we find long continuous daisy chains of redfish and drum from a fixed position. In key locations at specific times, these strings of fish can stroll past us for hours on end. It is some of my favorite fishing of all the year!

Around the same time, we got to shoot a redfish while a whooping crane feeds in the background ahead of us. Don spotted a redfish at practically point blank range and lays out a perfect cast, retrieve and hookup. Watch the video below. Please excuse the lack of editing and the video’s rotation…


Fly Fishing Texas Winters

redfish, marsh, fly fishing, red, drum, crab, texas, coast, guide, charters, fly, fishing, port aransas, catch & release, hatch, outdoors, beavertail, corpus, christi, skiff, life, aransas, pass, rockport, airflo, lines,

Personal Best Redfish for Mrs. Amy!

As fall leads us into winter, the redfish along the Texas Middle Coast have responded rather well. Dates in early December are still open and there are plenty more blue bird days to come! Book NOW! Call Capt Kenjo @ 361-500-2552 or email: ken@kenjofly.com

Now also accepting bookings for early 2019 (January/February/March) so if you have some bearings on your plans get on the horn and give me a shout! There are loads of fish in the mud through the winter and they tend to run on the larger than average size scale.

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Bruce is 6’5″ tall… Makes this 29.25 inch redfish look small… No Justice!

If you live within reasonable striking distance, this is your time of year to just watch for weather windows and be ready to Strike! The days with bluebird skies tend to string together and usually by the second day of clear skies the fish are going nuts eating everything in sight! Those days will book up quick so I added a 10-day forecast link at the bottom of this page and one the homepage.

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Had to take a walk into that back-pond to retrieve this redfish for Ms. Willa

There have been many days of excellent numbers of redfish to work with and a few days where we had to look harder.

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Blind Casted 25inch Red Drum

But we pretty much always find the fish even in overcast conditions! One day in particular we were covered up with big trout and we could see them good, if you know what you were looking for…

redfish, marsh, fly fishing, red, drum, crab, texas, coast, guide, charters, fly, fishing, port aransas, catch & release, hatch, outdoors, beavertail, corpus, christi, skiff, life, aransas, pass, rockport, airflo, lines,

27.25 inches and still growing!

We had to work through shit-tons of kinks, then, just let it fly and John got a decent speck to hand before the bite was all over.

Other days we caught them over flooded cow paddies and ambushed them in the cattle trails. The falling tides from early fall drained rather quickly and during that time the fish were everywhere.

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Happy Fish

Then we found them working in the back mud lakes around loads of shell. You have to time the tides right and know your water pockets very thoroughly or you didnt see any fish.

redfish, marsh, fly fishing, red, drum, crab, texas, coast, guide, charters, fly, fishing, port aransas, catch & release, hatch, outdoors, beavertail, corpus, christi, skiff, life, aransas, pass, rockport, airflo, lines, pumpkin

Bounty of Colors

Other days we caught alot of pumpkins, some floating and others cruising. On those early fall calm days the fish might have seemed spooky but really they just wanted super light-weight shrimp flies and dry fly casts and presentations. If you loose your zen while casting it was sure the fish was gone. Surprisingly a lot of fish settled down only a few feet away and let you get another chance at fooling them

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Bruce is 6’5″ tall… Makes this 29.25 inch redfish look small… No Justice!

There are always moments when fishing from a skiff that fish pop-up in close ranges and sometimes even underneath your feet or opn the right side of the boat but with proper technique going from a locked and loaded position, many folks have been able

redfish, marsh, fly fishing, red, drum, crab, texas, coast, guide, charters, fly, fishing, port aransas, catch & release, hatch, outdoors, beavertail, corpus, christi, skiff, life, aransas, pass, rockport, airflo, lines,

Best SLOW-MO eat from a redfish ever!

to catch those redfish only 5 ft away with a 9ft rod and 9ft leader! And I gotta say, I truly love the quick draw redfish bites! Those moments are excellent trainers for keeping your shit together!

On the days with the coldest water temps the fish were biting flies but you had to feed them seriously slow.

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Holding Red

 

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This guy ALWAYS gets his Redfish!

And these guys are sure to have had a good time, they can fish in the thick and thin, dark and stormy skies or calm bluebirds. If the winds are howling they just howl louder and then punch out a 60ft cast to put it in front of a voracious redfish!

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Sunrise School

 

 

 

 

CALL NOW< BOOK ONLINE< GOOD WEATHER IS IN THE FORECAST!!!

Capt Kenjo 361-500-2552

 

 

 

 

Last Minute Opening

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Top Slot Cruising Redfish Release

This Friday had a cancellation and is NOW available! Call ASAP to get on the boat! The redfish are thick and the skies are looking GOOOOOOOD!!! The speckled trout bite has been good especially when blind casting certain areas. If the redfish are off their bite it is pretty good chance the trout are still pecking away at the plentiful bait. The redfish and black drum will surely provide ample chances to take shots at cruisers and tailers! (August 12-17 is also available)

Call or text Capt Kenjo NOW at 361-500-2552

Or Book Now Online to see my Availability Calendar

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Hardcore Challenges

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Quick Topwater Selfie with Don

…Challenge accepted! Do you want to sight cast at trophy trout? Odds are slim, but you just might get your shots! We did yesterday out of Port Aransas.

Often you will hear someone say, “You should have been here yesterday” but I prefer to say, “You better be here tomorrow!!!”

Little did we know just how cool the day would become when we started well before false dawn… Out of bed at 4am with plans to be off the water at 2pm when the 97F heat is baking hot. And honestly I didnt expect to run into big trout…

The forever prevalent winds were gusting South southeast to 20mph … for some of us though, this kind of challenge cannot be refused. Lately the stronger winds have been every other day, and overall this year the winds have been down more than usual in the last 6 years. For this reason, this year is a great time to fly fish in the Texas salt!

The initial deep water hunting grounds we checked revealed no tarpon and just as we were relocating 4 or 5 jacks in the 20# class came bursting up in a fleeting 3 minute moment and the excitement dissipated just as the heavy morning boat traffic near the harbor began to increase. We got 2 shots on them but didn’t get the eat. We waiting another 45 minutes, didnt see them again. Seeing the surface life is always incredible to witness, but seeing the fish maneuver so deftly through the water is exhilarating!

Onto the next shallower set of fishing grounds deeper into the bay’s interior we worked the entire circumference of a quarter-acre island and only spotted one or two small redfish. Rather than continuing up the island chain, we bailed and went to the next sweet spot.

Getting setup on the pole took no time at all, even with the oyster reefs cooking in the 9am sun. Deep water access points are critical in low tide situations in order to avoid having to burn miles of 6-8″ habitat and this spot is easy in/easy out.

On the pole, Don sets me up on numerous shots at redfish, all long range and outside the 60ft radius. I like taking long range shots and Airflo’s Bonefish/Redfish Fly line performs perfectly for these shots. Too bad I missed a few hooksets or we would have more pictures. Haha. May could have used a larger fly with all the wind. It seemed though that half of the fish we shot at didn’t see the fly. Everything moves fast in the wind. Nonetheless, I was committed to getting my eats on that tiny size 8 “damn-near dry” fly and had we wade-fished, many more fish would have come to hand and at a much closer range. Someone just forgot their boots yesterday. Ahem! Cough cough

Onto the next line, short and quick, we poled a deep water edge along the flat and picked up a nice mid slot red that was floating but the hook pulled halfway into the fight. Up and at it again, onto the next location we simply weren’t seeing enough to continue that track. Quick drift over some deep water grass shoals proved to yield a bottom slot red and trout, both on top-water under midday bluebird skies… a nice bonus for the day for sure. Yet again, we hit some deep water, fired up the engine and ran to the next spot. Hit the edge and began to pole in about a foot of water then “Holy Smokes! Look at that!!!”

There the Tiger Trout were, tailing in the jungle… We got 1 shot on a 25inch plus speck as it was leaving casually but no love, then there was another, even bigger than the last, and probably in the top 5 biggest trout I have laid my eyes on in the past 6 years here fishing average 250-300 days per year…

Don kept his cool like no other, waiting for me to setup the boat to get him in the best position, slowing down to allow for more than 1 shot and once within a comfortable casting range like 50ft, Don began to work the magic wand…  Don made one beautiful and deliberate cast after another and finally the fish moved on the fly, her massive head and sand colored tiger stripes on her back were lit up and wide! Rising up and leveling herself like a submarine coming into port, you could see that she was looking around for Don’s fly.

While that second cast got her to look around, just at this precise moment, I began to hear the roar of an airboat, approaching from downwind, heading practically straight for us. Don kept working the fish and he didn’t even seem to react to the intrusive hail of 300 horsepower engine careening over slicked-out turtle grass flats. I tried to flag them off but it seems like they either didn’t see me or didn’t care. On a mission maybe.

I so wish I could have filmed what all went down in that entire 30 second moment. Not the airboat coincidence but to capture what my eyes were viewing in the water. The true beauty of witnessing a wild animal doing what it does best and then using a single hook and line to interacting with it on a very challenging and now personal level. We accept these defiant challenges with pride knowing that we will succeed and if we don’t that time, we will never stop trying. It all about how things can go wrong, then finally go right, then go wrong again, just as thing are going right. All somehow, coincidentally, at the perfect moment and so much uncontrollable… This is why I fly fish, and this is why I sight-fish almost exclusively, even on the worst of days. Only you can make your day, even a bad one, into a good one.

I truly think we would have been able to feed that fish better had the airboat not been in the equation. I certainly felt the need for urgency in the moment. Kudos to Don for not freaking out more than me, and keeping his cool through it all.

That there is the relative end of the story. We continued to pole for another mile or so, generally continuing our planned route down the flat and off into deep water again to use the engine, we didn’t see another hint of fish… Irregardless, our smiles were just as big as ever, knowing that we saw many great things that day despite what wasn’t.

And with that, you can be damned sure, I WILL fish every day.

Port Aransas Texas, fly fishing, rockport, corpus christi, red, drum, redfish, sight casting, guide, charters, adventure, things to do in, flats, hatch outdoors, airflo, fly lines, beavertail skiffs, bull, red, record

38 inch Bull Redfish

August is big fish month as the bulls begin to move towards the jetties for their annual spawn. This year I expect to encounter quite a few along the edges of the flats and during suitable weather conditions I am offering single angler bull redfish trips around the inlet when conditions allow.

Guided dates are available and posted now and the fishing is hot if you want to take the shots! Call me NOW  361-500-2552 or book online to make an appointment and get the first available dates quickly!

 

 

 

 

 

Deep Sea Smiles

“There once was a fish with the deep sea smile and it lived down deep in the sea a mile…”

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, beavertail, yeti, trouthunter, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna, madre, padre, bay, deep, sea, roundup, 2018, casting, instruciton, lessons, classes

Sunrise Surprise

When Jake called me up and asked me to fish the 83rd Annual Boatman’s Deep Sea Roundup there was no way I would turn him down. Simply because Jake is a great angler and sportsman, he is fun to fish with and can hang ten while throwing shots on the fly. Win-win situation even if we lose!

Early on Day 1 shortly after false dawn we landed this beauty of a redfish but my livewell pumps had died recently and we decided to ice the fish and hope she didn’t shrink too much by the 2pm weigh-in…

Official length and weight of this fish was 27.25inches (half an inch smaller than when alive) and 7.6lbs… Very likely a winning redfish!

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, beavertail, yeti, trouthunter, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna, madre, padre, bay, deep, sea, roundup, 2018

Treat all Life with respect and everything becomes a gift.

On Day 2, we met at the dock well before sunrise again, this time Jake brought along his lovely bride Whitney, and Jake’s desire to see Whitney catch her first redfish on fly took priority. It was a gentleman’s gesture, and for me, there seemed to me to be no better gift than to give her the bow and shots at tailing redfish in the early morning hours of dawn. It was an honor for myself even to have participated and love seeing the beautiful expressions on everyone’s face when they get that redfish for the first time!

We still hunted for that lurking trout (21 inches was to beat from day 1) and Jake even spent the remaining time on the bow letting excessive amounts of mid slot redfish swim away untouched for that 1 chance at another tournament winning redfish and he displayed a level of patience that you don’t see often.

redfish, fly fishing, texas, coast, gulf, mexico, guide, charters, skiff, beavertail, yeti, trouthunter, port aransas, corpus christi, rockport, laguna, madre, padre, bay, deep, sea, roundup, 2018, tournament, jackson walker

Captain and Crew! Yoop yoop!

Nonetheless, our 27.25in redfish on fly from Day 1 held up and we took 1st place in the Fly Division. Overall I would say this event was more than a success and a super fun time worth doing again and again.

“…And now, you see, our smiles shine down in the sea, at least a mile”